What’s the Difference Between Access and SQL?

January 22, 2018January 16, 2018

When you’re migrating your Microsoft Office, one of the major issues involved is making sure your Microsoft Access is prepared for the move. However, this can lead to a confusing issue—what in your system is actually Microsoft Access, and what’s part of the SQL database? Take a look at this quick guide to understand the difference.

The first thing to understand about Microsoft Access and SQL is that SQL is not an application. Instead, it’s a programming language. SQL stands for Structured Query Language, and it is what the computer uses to communicate with a database like Microsoft Access. Many people refer to SQL as its own database because there are many database applications available that are also called SQL, but understanding the difference is essential.

Microsoft Access and other SQL databases differ in a variety of ways:

Database size—Access databases can be a maximum of 2 GB, while other SQL databases can hold up to over 500,000 TB.

Number of objects—Access has a maximum of a little over 32,000 objects per database. SQL databases can have over 2 billion objects.

Scalability—SQL databases are more suited for scalability than Access.

Concurrent users—Access has a limit of 255 simultaneous users. Other SQL databases can have over 32,000 users at one time.

Usability—Access is an excellent application for creating modest databases or for users who don’t want to deal with technical language. SQL databases are much more technical but have far more capacity.

A significant benefit of Access that many users like is that it works well with Microsoft Excel. Microsoft programs translate data between different applications with ease, so Access is often seen as a way to make simple Excel spreadsheets into robust databases.

When you’re migrating your Microsoft Access to a newer version, you need to know what files and SQL language will be affected, and how to fix any issues that may arise. Luckily, Converter Technology is here to help you through every step of the process. Contact us today to learn more.